John McGarrigle

John McGarrigle (died 2 July 1921) was a leader of the Sinn Fein political party in Ireland.

Biography
John McGarrigle was born in Ireland, and he became a fundraiser for the Sinn Fein political party during the Irish War of Independence. McGarrigle headed to the United States in 1920 to raise money for the cause, embarking on a tour of major US cities with large Irish populations. In February 1921, Irish-American businessman Ernie Moran introduced McGarrigle to Atlantic City political boss Enoch Thompson, and McGarrigle asked Thompson for weapons in exchange for a reward. McGarrigle was shocked when Thompson demanded Irish whiskey in return for the weapons, and McGarrigle insulted Thompson's character and told him that he would talk with the IRA leadership about the deal; he refused to have Thompson meet his superiors, claiming that the IRA would take care of its own affairs. McGarrigle began to lose faith in the IRA's ability to win the war of independence against the United Kingdom after the death of his son, and he believed that the IRA were going to fight to the "bitter end", which he believed was coming soon. McGarrigle was shot in the back of the head by IRA member Patrick as he entered his own car after bidding farewell to Thompson as he returned to America, with McGarrigle having made enemies with those IRA members who were still optimistic about the outcome of the war. Soon after his death, the IRA managed to secure the independence of Ireland as the "Irish Free State".